,,iv #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #dag ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,november #ah1 #bjac,mr4 ,pitts 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,ellison1 ,mr4 ,chabot1 ,mr4 ,conyers1 ,mr4 ,sensenbrenner1 ,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,mr4 ,wolf1 ,mr4 ,sires1 ,mr4 ,meadows1 ,mr4 ,moran1 ,mr4 ,huelskamp1 ,mr4 ,lewis1 ,ms4 ,mc,collum1 ,mr4 ,grijalva1 and ,mr4 ,polis7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 and in addition to the ,committee on the ,judiciary1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,,resolution ,praising ,india's rich religious diversity and commitment to tolerance and equality1 and reaffirming the need to protect the rights and freedoms of religious minorities4 ,whereas ,india is the world's largest democracy1 with a constitution that protects the fundamental rights of all citizens1 including the right of each citizen to profess1 propagate1 and practice his or her own religion2 ,whereas ,india is the birthplace of several of the world's great religions1 including ,hinduism1 ,buddhism1 ,sikhism1 and ,jainism2 ,whereas ,india and the ,united ,states enjoy a strong historic relationship and believe deeply in the causes of liberty1 justice1 and equality under the law2 ,whereas ,india and the ,united ,states have rich multiethnic societies and share a commitment to the values of tolerance1 pluralism1 and religious diversity2 ,whereas the population of ,india includes a ,hindu majority1 the third largest ,muslim population in the world1 a ,christian population of more than #be1jjj1jjj1 a ,sikh population of more than #ai1jjj1jjj1 and dozens of other faiths2 ,whereas contrary to the tolerant and pluralistic traditions of the ,hindu faith1 strands of the ,hindu nationalist movement have advanced a divisive and violent agenda that has harmed the social fabric of ,india2 ,whereas on ,december #f1 #aiib1 a large mob destroyed the historic #afth-century ,babri ,mosque in ,ayodhya1 which was located on a site claimed to be the birthplace of the ,hindu god ,rama2 ,whereas according to the ,congressional ,research ,service1 ensuing communal riots left many hundreds dead in cities across ,india and ,mumbai was especially hard hit as the site of coordinated #aiic terrorist bombings believed to have been a retaliatory strike by ,muslims2 ,whereas on ,february #bg1 #bjjb1 in the city of ,godhra in the western state of ,gujarat1 ,india1 #eh ,hindus were burnt alive in a train coach fire1 and communal violence erupted in several ,gujarati cities2 ,whereas in the ,international ,religious ,freedom ,report of #bjjc1 the ,united ,states ,department of ,state found that ,in ,gujarat the worst religious violence directed against ,muslims by ,hindus took place in ,february and ,march #bjjb1 leaving an estimated #b1jjj dead and #ajj1jjj displaced into refugee camps ''' ,christians were also victims in ,gujarat1 and many churches were destroyed2 ,whereas the ,indian magazine ,tehelka reported that many of the people who participated in the violence said it was possible only because of the connivance of the state police and ,gujarat ,chief ,minister ,narendra ,modi2 ,whereas the ,united ,states ,government denied ,minister ,modi a visa to the ,united ,states in #bjje on the grounds of egregious religious freedom violations under the ,international ,religious ,freedom ,act of #aiih1 the first and only time such a denial has been issued2 ,whereas #aj years after the violence took place1 ,human ,rights ,watch reported on ,february #bd1 #bjab1 that ,modi has acted against whistleblowers while making no effort to prosecute those responsible for the anti-,muslim violence ''' ,where justice has been delivered in ,gujarat1 it has been in spite of the state government1 not because of it42 ,whereas #aj years after the violence took place1 ,amnesty ,international reported on ,february #bi1 #bjab1 that at least #ba1jjj survivors and relatives of the victims remained in #ai transit relief camps2 ,whereas violence broke out between ,christians and ,hindus in the eastern state of ,odisha in ,december #bjjg1 with significant rioting and looting of shops and churches and more than #a1jjj people displaced from their homes2 ,whereas the ,august #bjjh murder of a prominent ,hindu leader of ,vishwa ,hindu ,parishad in ,odisha sparked a violent campaign against ,christians1 although ,maoist extremists claimed responsibility for the assassination2 ,whereas the ,united ,states ,department of ,state reported that #dj people were killed1 #acd were injured1 churches and homes were destroyed1 and more than #aj1jjj people fled the state2 ,whereas the ,associated ,press reported at the time that the violence provided a window into ,india's hidden fragility1 its sometimes dangerous political climate1 and the fierce historical divisions buried in its vast diversity2 ,whereas according to the ,united ,states ,commission on ,international ,religious ,freedom 7,,uscirf71 there was no immediate police or state government reaction to the ,odisha violence1 and religious leaders and aid agencies were denied access to provide care for the victims2 ,whereas the ,national ,solidarity ,forum1 an independent ,indian tribunal of former judges1 journalists1 and political analysts1 concluded in #bjaj that institutional bias on the part of the ,odisha state government1 its police1 and judicial system1 led to a lack of justice and accountability2 ,whereas the ,all ,india ,christian ,council1 an ,indian nongovernmental organization1 reported in #bjab that state police documented an estimated #c1ejj complaints related to the #bjjg to #bjjh ,odisha violence1 but only #hbg cases were registered with local or state court structures2 ,whereas ,,uscirf found that the investigative and court structures the ,government of ,india created in response to the communal violence in ,gujarat and ,odisha failed to end intimidation1 harassment1 and violence against religious minorities2 ,whereas according to a #bjab report by the ,pew ,research ,center's ,forum on ,religion ,public ,life1 ,india falls into a high category for government restrictions on religion and a very high category for religious social hostilities2 ,whereas nongovernmental organizations and ,christian1 ,muslim1 and ,sikh communities reported an increase in religiously motivated harassment and violence over the last #b years1 and expect it to increase in advance of the #bjad general elections2 ,whereas on ,august #bg1 #bjac1 communal violence erupted in ,muzaffarnagar1 ,uttar ,pradesh1 ,india's most populous state1 with more than #fj ,muslims and ,hindus killed1 #ej1jjj people displaced1 and thousands remaining in relief camps #b months later2 ,whereas on ,september #ah1 #bjac1 a local court in ,muzaffarnagar issued arrest warrants against #af politicians and community leaders1 including ,bahujan ,samaj ,party parliamentarian ,qadir ,rana and ,bharatiya ,janata ,party ,legislative ,assembly members ,sangeet ,som and ,bhartendu ,singh for inciting the violence2 ,whereas several states have ,freedom-of-,religion ,laws1 commonly referred to as anticonversion laws1 that purport to ban forced conversions but actually are used to prevent certain religious groups from peacefully persuading others to change their religion2 and ,whereas ,,uscirf found in its #bjac ,annual ,report that states with these laws have higher incidents of intimidation1 harassment and violence against religious minorities1 particularly ,christians1 than states that do not43 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 recognizes the suffering of all ,indian citizens who have been victims of religious violence1 including the victims of all faiths from the #aiib ,babri ,mosque riots1 the #bjjb ,gujarat riots1 the #bjjh ,odisha riots1 and violence that is ongoing today2 7#b7 calls for religious freedom and related human rights to be included in the ,united ,states-,india ,strategic ,dialogue1 and for these issues to be raised directly with federal and state ,indian ,government officials when appropriate2 7#c7 shares the opinion of the ,united ,states ,department of ,state and the ,united ,states ,commission on ,international ,religious ,freedom 7,,uscirf7 that the ,gujarat government has not adequately pursued justice for the victims of the #bjjb violence and remains concerned by reports from journalists and human rights groups about the complicity of local officials in the #bjjb violence2 7#d7 commends the ,united ,states ,government for exercising its authority in #bjje under the ,international ,religious ,freedom ,act of #aiih to deny a ,united ,states visa to ,narendra ,modi on the grounds of religious freedom violations1 and encourages it to review the applications of any individuals implicated in religious freedom violations under the same standard2 7#e7 commends the role of ,india's ,national ,human ,rights ,commission and the ,indian ,supreme ,court1 which has led to some convictions in ,gujarat riot cases and the arrest of a few high-level leaders in the ,gujarati administration2 7#f7 urges ,india to increase training on human rights and religious freedom standards and practices for police and the judiciary1 particularly in states with a history or likelihood of communal violence2 7#g7 calls on ,gujarat and other ,indian states with anti-conversion laws to repeal such legislation and ensure freedom to practice1 propagate1 and profess ones' religion as enshrined in the ,indian constitution2 7#h7 urges the ,government of ,india to empower the ,national ,commission on ,minorities with enforcement mechanisms1 such as the ability to conduct trials and hear appeals2 7#i7 encourages the establishment of an impartial body of interfaith religious leaders1 human rights advocates1 legal experts1 and government officials to discuss and recommend actions to promote religious tolerance and understanding2 and 7#aj7 urges all political parties and religious organizations to publicly oppose the exploitation of religious differences and denounce harassment and violence against religious minorities1 especially in the run-up to ,india's general elections in #bjad4